Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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359. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being taken to provide temporary accommodation in the short term, and a permanent structure in the longer term, for a school (details supplied) whose numbers are increasingly, resulting in an urgent need for extra space to address the school’s accommodation crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43948/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can advise the Deputy that this school recently submitted an application under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme for an additional mainstream classroom, a principal’s office, a secretary’s office and a GP room.

The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area.

In general, demographics have been falling at primary level and are due to continue to decrease. Therefore, the Department considers it prudent to maximise the use of existing spare accommodation capacity at primary level in the first instance, before considering any applications for further accommodation needs. This is in line with public spending requirements.

The Department’s Planning and Building Unit is therefore carefully analysing the medium to longer-term requirements for additional accommodation taking account of enrolment projections and the need to make optimum use of existing capacity in schools in the area.

Furthermore, provision of a principal’s office, a secretary’s office or GP room does not fall under the remit of the current Additional Schools' Accommodation Scheme.

The main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics particularly at post-primary level and for special education needs provision. The Deputy will appreciate that the immediate priority of my Department is providing new and replacement school places each year, to ensure that every child has a school place.

However, the second half of the National Development Plan period will see an increasing focus on the upgrade and refurbishment of the existing school stock. This will include a PE Hall build and modernisation programme to ensure that students in all post-primary schools have access to appropriate facilities to support PE provision. The ancillary accommodation needs of primary schools, such as General Purpose rooms will also be considered.

This application is currently under consideration. When a final decision has been reached it will be communicated by the Department to the school authorities directly.